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Chiquita & Fresh Express Corporate Social Responsibility 2009
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2 Our Company International producer and marketer of high-quality fresh and value- added produce 106-year-old company $4.5 billion in annualized revenues Premium brand Healthy, convenient, high-quality, fresh Operations in more than 60 countries 25,000 employees worldwide More than 14,000 farm workers, about two-thirds unionized June 2005 acquisition of Fresh Express, U.S. market leader of packaged salads
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3 Corporate Responsibility – Part of Our Core Values Responsibility Opportunity Respect Integrity Chiquita ® Core Values
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4 Our Definition of Corporate Responsibility At Chiquita, we define corporate responsibility to include social responsibilities, such as respect for the environment and the communities where we do business, the health and safety of our workers, labor rights and food safety. Responsibility Opportunity Respect Integrity
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5 Core Values * Code of Conduct * Standards Chiquita is the Industry Leader in Corporate Social Responsibility Labor Credible and verifiable Based on core International Labor Organization and other human rights standards Multi-stakeholder supported Management systems External verification Continuous Improvement 100% Owned; 14% AP’s certified Food Safety Minimum standards acceptable to leading European retailers Food Safety Environmental stewardship Reduced use of agrichemicals Worker health and safety Traceability Record keeping and documentation; evidence of good practices Third-party certification 100% Owned; 56% AP’s certified Environmental 9 measurable and verifiable standards Environmental and social Tailored to address industry issues Third-party Certification Annual recertification farm by farm Continuous improvement 100% Owned; 96% AP’s certified Certification to Leading Standards
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6 Environmental: Rainforest Alliance 10 measurable and verifiable environmental and social standards for sustainable banana production Measures performance from biodiversity, water and soil conservation to integrated pest and waste management Validated by Conservation International and Tropical Science Center Annual certification audits of each farm by independent conservation groups to ensure continued compliance Social, Labor and Human Rights: Social Accountability 8000 Based on core International Labor Organization and UN human rights conventions Similar to Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code External verification and certification by accredited auditors Food Safety: EUREPGAP Standards and procedures for good agricultural practices in fresh produce production Independent, Verifiable, Credible High Standards of Corporate Responsibility
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7 Rainforest Alliance Environmental Certification Rainforest Alliance certification: Much more than a management system - a real performance standard 100% of bananas from owned farms certified annually since 2000 93% of purchased bananas certified in 2005, up from 33% in 2001 Chiquita uses only the least-toxic agrichemicals necessary for quality banana production and only products approved for use by the EPA and the European Union "The Rainforest Alliance and associated members of the Sustainable Agriculture Network have been auditing Chiquita farms for more than ten years. We have seen remarkable progress toward more eco-friendly production and healthier working and living conditions. … We once again assessed all of the farms against our rigorous standards. Many of the audits were done without warning the farm managers in advance. I am pleased to report that all of the 115 farms were once again recertified.“ Tensie Whelan Executive Director Rainforest Alliance
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8 Rainforest Alliance Environmental Certification - Benefits Environmental benefits of RA certification Reforestation conserves water and soils – more than 1 million trees planted Groundcover reduces herbicide use Better storage and closed systems to avoid agrichemical runoff and improve safety Improved waste management reduces pollution
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9 SA8000 Social, Labor, Human Rights Certification All of our farm employees now work at SA8000-certified operations 100% of bananas from owned farms are SA8000-certified Costa Rica (2002), Panama (2003), Honduras and Guatemala (2004) 14% of bananas from independent growers are certified Colombia farms certified prior to sale in 2004 Chiquita farms were the first-ever to achieve SA8000 certification in each of these countries “Chiquita continues to impress. The transparency of its corporate responsibility reporting and the use of highly respected independent observers…is a track record which is unmatched in our work in Latin America. While the road is long, Chiquita has traveled far in a few short years.” Stephen Coats Executive Director U.S./LEAP
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10 IUF/COLSIBA/Chiquita Labor Engagement Landmark IUF-COLSIBA-Chiquita Agreement signed June 14, 2001 Based on core ILO conventions Collaboration on worker health and safety Fair dealing and continuous improvement Negotiate in good faith Communicate in open, honest and straightforward manner Avoid public international campaigns or anti-union retaliatory tactics Committee to review serious or systemic violations “We have seen real progress as a result of the Agreement in a number of Chiquita operations. … I remain impressed with the good faith and serious intent Chiquita has brought to this process.” Ron Oswald General Secretary International Union of Foodworkers
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11 EurepGAP Food-Safety Certification Added assurance of product safety and quality through risk-based food-safety standards of the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group 100% of bananas from owned farms are EUREPGAP-certified 56% of bananas from independent growers are certified (2005) “Chiquita is a trailblazer, and I truly hope others will follow down the path toward sustainability.” Deborah Kane Executive Director Food Alliance
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12 Research & Projects Opened in Costa Rica in 2004 with Swiss retailer Migros and the Rainforest Alliance In 2005, GTZ, a German sustainable development organization, made a sizable commitment to expand In early 2006, Costa Rican government awarded Nogal official wildlife refuge status With Clean Cargo Working Group, developed new environmental performance measurement tool to gauge the impact manufacturers, retailers and shippers make when moving goods by sea Food and Agriculture Working Group addressing sustainable agriculture issues August 2005: six-year agreement with World Wildlife Fund to reduce environmental impacts caused by commercial agriculture in Honduras & Guatemala Evaluate current agricultural practices to reduce negative downstream impacts of banana & pineapple production on Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef
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13 Research & Projects EPA SmartWay – Chiquita-Fresh Express North American Logistics Group has recently joined the EPA program SmartWay, as a full-participation member dedicated to decreasing GHG and air pollution Water Management – Companywide working group is actively engaged in water management strategies throughout our facilities (E.g., Fresh Express HQ already testing to waterless urinals each with a savings of 40,000 gallons of water per year) Recycling and Reuse – We are actively pursuing recycling and plastics reuse programs. (E.g., Fresh Express West Plant is recipient of local Mayor’s award for environmental stewardship; recycles vegetable waste; acts as model for other facilities)
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14 Timeline of Key Corporate Responsibility Events Continuous Improvement Yields Significant Accomplishments 1998 2002 2001 2000 1999 Steering Committee Created Code of Conduct (SA8000) CR Officer 1st internal audits 100% RA Certification IUF / COLSIBA Agreement 1st CR Report 2nd internal audit with observers ETI member Worker training Top 20 Sustainable Stock Picks (SB20) SA8000 in Costa Rica BSR Board Core Values 3rd-party pilot audits 2003 CERES-ACCA Sustainability Reporting Award SAI Advisory Board; Corporate Conscience Award SA8000 in Colombia and Panama EurepGAP in Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica 1992 Rainforest Alliance Engagement 2004 OAS Corporate Citizen of the Americas Award 100% SA8000 certification 2005 100% EurepGAP certification KLD’s Domini 400 Social Index Chiquita / RA campaign in Europe WWF Agreement on Mesoamerican Reef Italian Ethic Award; Swiss Ethics Finalist 2006 Nogal Named Official Wildlife Refuge Contribution to Community Award from AmCham (Costa Rica)
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15 Corporate Social Responsibility An Integral Part of Our Global Business Strategy Respect for the environment Respect for the communities where we do business Commitment to the health and safety of our workers Commitment to labor rights Commitment to consumers through food safety Responsibility Opportunity Respect Integrity
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